Immigration effects on parenting, stress, and risky sex: First and second generation Hispanic youth

For decades, there has been the generalized view that cultural differences from the country of origin and the host country threaten family relations and exacerbate the risk for immigrant youth to engage in unhealthy and risky behaviors. It has been argued that immigrant families’ values, beliefs, and parenting practices are different from the ones found in the host country or are forced to change during the process of adaptation to the host culture; thus, affecting children’s developmental outcomes (Isralowitz & Slonim-Nevo, 2002; Nauck, 2001). In the particular case of Hispanic immigrant youth, alarming official statistics on risky sexual behaviors appear to support this notion. Hispanic youth are reported to be at an increased risk for STDs, having sexual intercourse before age 13, and having four or more sexual partners (CDC, 2000; YRBS, 2004). Yet, limited scholarship exists on how parenting processes and perceived or actual stress predict risky sexual behaviors across generations